Have child and have not slowed down! This blog seeks to chronicle the joys and challenges of taking kids hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing, biking, paddling and all-out exploring in the Canadian Rockies.

Pages

Monday, July 08, 2013

The Best Camping Hammock - and a Giveaway!!!

We always bring lots of toys and sports equipment with us when we go camping from soccer balls to hockey sticks, butterfly nets and bikes. Add a giant bucket of sand toys and vats of bubble mix, and our kids are generally well entertained. Last summer we also added a hammock to the growing collection of items we would try to fit into our truck. Little did we know, it would turn out to be the best camping investment ever and that the gaggle of kids we always camped with would spend hours in it each weekend! Far more popular than the playground, outliving every other toy, and still there at the end of the day when the kids had tired from riding their bikes, the hammock was always filled with at least 2-6 children.

While we loved the hammock, there were a few things we didn't love so much about it though. First of all, hanging it required us to draw from our climbing experience as we tied intricate knots in hopes of keeping the hammock in the air and not resting on the ground. Second, no matter how we tied it or how many ropes we used, the kids were always sitting with their bums on the ground within minutes of bouncing around in the hammock. It slipped, it slid, and it would not stay UP in the air. By the end of summer we had engineered a system of sorts to keep it from stretching and sagging but it definitely wasn't an easy process and I knew there had to be a simpler way to hang a hammock!

The other main flaw with last season's department store hammock came as a result of the material. It often rains at night and by morning the hammock was frequently soaked. It would then take the cotton fabric hours (or an entire day) to dry. This was highly unsatisfactory when the kids wanted to use the hammock in the morning but it was too wet to sit in. Surely there had to be a hammock that wasn't made of cotton and had quick drying properties.

Our New ENO Hammock

Introducing Eagles Nest Outfitters Hammocks

The opportunity to upgrade our hammock to a quick drying nylon hammock presented itself this summer and I jumped on it! We recently acquired an ENO Double Nest Hammock and have discovered that not all hammocks are created equal! With a 400lb weight allowance, we can fit a whole gang of kids in the hammock or even share quiet time together as a couple in this hammock that would definitely accommodate both my husband's and my weight. (If the kids would ever let us use it)

Quiet Time in the ENO Hammock

Our new ENO hammock is also going to be great in the backcountry! Weighing in at 20ozs, it's light enough to pack with us on all of our future backpacking trips. And if it rains, it won't matter because the quick drying nylon fabric will dry in no time at all.

Definitely the best thing about our ENO hammock though is the suspension system that eliminates the long set up time, removes all knots from the equation, and simplifies hanging the hammock to the point where even I can put it up, and I couldn't tie a knot if my life depended on it.

The Atlas Suspension System

Our hammock came with the Atlas Suspension system which features Polyfilament Webbing weighing in at 11ozs. The webbing wraps around both trees on either side of the hammock, and then attaches to the aluminum carabiners on either end of the hammock. The webbing features several loops so that you can raise or lower the hammock as much as you want simply by using a loop closer to or further from your trees. To see an instruction video on how to hang an ENO hammock, visit the previous link to the company website.

Aluminum carabiners and Polyfilament webbing

Finally, the ENO hammock comes with its own compression stuff sack so that you can easily bundle it up for both car camping and backcountry trips.

Everything about the hammock cries out "quality" from the heavy duty triple stitched seems to the fact that the hammock actually has carabiners attached to it instead of simple fabric loops.

The kids love the hammock and we adults love it too because we can hang it once and leave it at that. It doesn't stretch and slide down the tree within five minutes of hanging it, bums aren't touching the ground, and we know it's not going to rip or fall apart when our rambunctious children jump in.

Happy Campers in the ENO Hammock

Win Your Own ENO Single Nest Hammock

ENO has generously offered to give away one Single Nest Hammockto a lucky reader so that you can see for yourself how awesome these hammocks are. While this contest is open to all Canadian and American citizens, free shipping only applies to those in the United States. Canadians will have to pay a small fee of approximately $15 COD when the hammock arrives at your house. Alternately, you could choose to have the hammock shipped to friends in the US and arrange for your own delivery.

Loving the Hammock!

To enter the contest please leave a comment below telling me why you would like to win an ENO hammock and where you'd use it this summer. Please leave your first name and an email address where you can be reached if you win. If you aren't comfortable leaving your email address, please send it to me directly using the information on the contact me page of this blog. You can also email me to enter the contest if you find you are unable to leave a comment.

All entries will be entered into a spreadsheet and a name will be drawn using an automatic number generator. The winning name will be announced on Monday morning July 15th with the contest closing at midnight mountain standard time on Sunday July 14th.

The ENO Double Nest Hammock

The Contest has now wrapped up and a winner from Calgary was notified.

107 comments:

This sounds like exactly what we need! We have a cotton hammock that is fantastic, but generally take it down every night to avoid the damp factor. And that suspension system looks great, too. Thanks for entering us in the contest :) Renee, kirby_r@hotmail.com

Oh, man, one of these would be great for our family camping trips! Why would I like one? Well, we don't have a hammock, and I believe it's a must-have camping item. This one looks awesome. :) We'd love to use it on our remaining camping trips this summer and fall, mostly throughout the Sierras, but also along the California coast. Thanks! lindabernardi@ymail.com

What a completely perfect hammock! Wow!! I have been dragging around a cotton one all these years only to find out about ENO!!!! Thank you so much for sharing the info. If I don't win it, I'm going to look for one for sure! We like to hang ours in our yard, camping, even picnicking, but it gets damp easily and yes, HOURS to dry!!! It also is woven so lots of holes...not too fun with all the mosquitoes right now! Yikes!

The ENO Hammock is exactly what we were missing on our trip to the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and especially Paria Canyon this past weekend! I would love a place to relax under the sun or stars to enjoy a good book or a good nap. Camp chairs just don't do the stars justice at night. Our next trip will be to the Seattle area at the end of July and Rocky Mountain National Park for some camping in Colorado at the end of August. Email: Leah.c.novak@gmail.com, Leah Novak-- Thanks!

we would use it everywhere we go in the outdoors... and probably at home in the back yard too, b/c nothing beats a hammock for comfort :) we like you, love to have a hammock up when camping... such a great place for kids to wind down, and maybe even have an impromptu nap. grown ups too, if we could ever get the hammock to ourselves... Greta (greta.duncan@gmail.com)

I would use this hammock immediately on the July 17-19rh weekend as my wife and I are back country camping at Rockwall. And I have never been able to find one durable and light enough for our backcountry needs. Thank you Evan polowick epolo@shaw.ca

I would definitely be using this hammock immediately on the July 4th weekend as we are going backcountry camping to Rockwall. O have never been able to find one that is durable and light enough to travel with. Thank you Evanmonkeyslick@gmail.com

Want. I've had thoughts of making my own hammock (used to do macrame) but the reality is that I'll likely never get around to it. Besides who would want to lay on knots after looking at yours?! It would come everywhere. I'd hang it in my front yard for "my" kids to play in... if I'm not in it... or even if I am?! Thanks Tanya!Michelle (Abhainnshell@gmail.com)

We would love this hammock! My 2 small boys would love it for the backyard and at the lake this summer. And when our boys are older, we would definitely bring it back country with us (and fight over who gets to sleep in it!).

I would looooove to win this hammock! We camp a lot, but this summer will be our 3-yr-old's first time seeing the mountains! The hammock would be a great addition to the trip. I love your blog by the way- came across it by accident, and now I find myself continuously checking for your next post. :) Very inspiring, thank you!! Lauraurtel@gmail.com

I would love this! We just expanded our family 4 days ago and this new lil guy love to rock. This would be great for when we go on a family camping trip in August! Finger are crossed. Theresa_m79@hotmail.com

I love to swing and doze in a hammock, and maybe it would have the same calming, happy effect on my two 'Duracell Bunny' boys! We would use it on all our camping trips this summer, the first excursion being to Sorrento, BC and then, maybe we could find a way to rig it in the backyard when we came home . . . Thanks for the chance to win!first name: Masonemail address: mmmason2@yahoo.com

I need to win so that I can have a safe place to store my portable TV and Xbox. KIDDING. I don't even have those. I've got 4 kids. I gotta find someplace for these guys to sleep when we're on the trail!

Our family would love this hammock. We go camping/hiking a lot. I have a toddler boy who climbs into everything and we've got a baby on the way. Could definitely use this to relax when we go camping in Vermont in August (a yearly tradition). sarah.moll@gmail.com

This would be a great thing to use either camping, or in my parents back yard at the lake. My son would have a blast in it - he loves to relax in a hammock just as much as I do! blindsided9 at gmail dot com

Many of the Adult Leaders in my boys (3) Boy Scout troop use Hammocks when they go camping and ENO is one of the main brands that gets used/rec commended to the boys. I can see many uses for it, esp when they have taken all of the good spots with their tents! Mjbegin.Sr@gmail.com

Many of the Adult Leaders in my boys (3) Boy Scout troop use Hammocks when they go camping and ENO is one of the main brands that gets used/rec commended to the boys. I can see many uses for it, esp when they have taken all of the good spots with their tents! Mjbegin.Sr@gmail.com

My friends and I love going hammocking in crazy and risky spots, but I always have one friend who doesn't have one. I need to win one so he can finally be a part of the gang! My email is mr.muffly@gmail.com

I need this for camping, I might need four.... it depends on how much time I would actually get to use it... I think my daughters would take possession of it fairly quickly.... Consider giving it to me a test ride for at least three sales.... Thanks, Kedron

I would love one of these for snuggling with my three year old on camping trips and then for using home in our yard. I doubt it will arrive in time for our upcoming trip, but there are lots if chances to camp here in Ontario.Nicole_77777 at hotmail dot com

I need another hammock for my wife. So she can get out of the tent & off the ground, when we go to the mountains of New Mexico this summer. An ENO single would be great!James Prulhierejwplocks@taylortel.net

So I have a nice(ish) nylon hammock...but have the same problem you did with your old one- how to get it hung right. Additionally it isn't big enough for more than one person...so it was not good for anything but solo camping.

I would love to win this hammock! Mine just finally tore last year, after many years of hard use. The question isn't where I would use it, but where wouldn't I use it! I enjoy hammock camping and have had to resort to tent camping this year because I haven't brought myself to go out and get another hammock. Steve stevenms2007@yahoo.com

I have never owned a hammock before and I'd absolutely love to have one! It would travel with me every weekend on my many, many adventures. I mainly take climbing trips, so sleeping outside under the starts between two trees seems like heaven wrapped in a ....well, hammock! sharonjskinner (at) gmail (dot) com.

We would absolutely LOVE this hammock! We'd take it camping with us all over our home state. My four kids would be overjoyed to have a hammock that they could sit in. peaceoftheprairies (at) gmail (dot) com

Really Really hoping I am chosen. I am taking my son to Algonquin Park this year for the first time ever. I was there when I was a child and he has never experienced its beauty. This would be incredible to have on our trip. We are both hammock lovers and readers! I can already picture us in that hammock with our books in beautiful algonquin. Thank you for the chance.

My 3 children would love to use this hammock at Honeymoon Lake, Bluerock, Whiteswan and anywhere else we end up camping! Not to mention the many picnics in the park and daytrips we make. We have friends who own a hammock, and my children adore their hammock SO much!

I was just looking at pinterset for camping ideas and found this cool contest. We started camping with our kids last year and I brought a hammock that had been sitting in our basment for years and the kids loved it. The problem with ours is it is very small and my youngest keeps falling out so we have to keep it very low to the ground, I think this one would solve that issue it looks awesome. Thanks Nicole

I have never owned a hammock before and I'd absolutely love to have one! It would travel with me every weekend on my many, many adventures. I mainly take climbing trips, so sleeping outside under the starts between two trees seems like heaven wrapped in a ....well, hammock! sharonjskinner (at) gmail (dot) com.

This would be a great replacement for our cotton hammock, which takes forever to dry if we leave it up in the rain. We'd use it for all our trips this summer. We have several car camping trips planned: the Okanagan, the Interior, and the Gulf Islands, as well as some one-night backpacking trips. We're off to Nicola Lake this week so I won't be able to respond to emails until after the 20th. Hopefully this doesn't affect my chances of winning!! wjoannaw@gmail.com